Shock absorbing mechanism



L. F. GADBOIS SHOCK ABSORBNG MECHANISM Sept. 8, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 23, 1956 Nk vk Wmv Wk [I {1|Il 1\\ IU mi I|||.|| ww Q2 .w n.l. 6v: Q Q @Q mmlimm, E l

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lSepp s, 1959 1 F. GADBOIS SHOCK ABSORBING MECHANISM Filed NOV. 23, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 f4' -l-LMW Mlm-M Inven-or Lewis LF'. Gczdbo United States Patent C) SHOCK ABSORBING lVIECHANISM Lewis F. Gadbois, Kenmore, N.Y., assignor to W. H.

This invention relates to a s hock absorbing mechanism and particularly to a draft gear housing having a removable rear wall.

It is an object of this invention to provide in a draft gear housing having a restricted front end, a rear wall which is readily positionable to securely close the rear end of the housing, and equally as readily removable.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a draft gear having a narrowed neck portion at the front end of a housing supporting a friction clutch mechanism and having resilient means internally thereof, a removable rear wall of sturdy construction that will withstand operating stresses imposed or imparted by a yoke during service.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a draft gear with a removable rear wall which is` slidable laterally of the draft gear housing into closing position over the rear end of the housing and which is locked in such closing position by means within the housing.

The invention, its advantages and objects will be apparent from the detailed description and claims which follow:

Referring now to the accomp anying drawings, wherein:

Figure' l is a plan view in cross section of the draft gear according to the invention, the resilient units being shown in full;

Figure 2 is a partial perspective of the rear end of a draft lgear housing, a closure member and a locking plate according to the invention, partly assembled, certain parts being broken away and shown in section;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of the gear of Figure l along the line 3--3, a portion thereof being shown in section; and

Figure 4 is an elevational view similar to that shown in Figure 3, but illustrating ya modification of the rear wall closure member according to the invention.

From Figure 1 of the drawings it will be seen that the invention is embodied in a draft gear comprising, generally, a shell or housing A with a friction clutch B at its front end, a rear wall C at its other end, and resilient units D interposed between said friction clutch B and said rear wall C.

The shell A comprises integral top 2, bottom 4, and side walls 6 and 8 which, as viewed in Figure 2, are disposed to give the housing a substantially rectangular cross section. These walls converge inwardly near the front end of the housing and form a necked or reduced front portion 10.Y Friction surfaces 12 are provided within said portion in sliding frictional engagement with friction lshoes 14 which also are in frictional sliding contact with a centrally positioned wedge 16. The wedge 16 employs locking lugs 18 which mate with similar contra-opposed lugs 19 at the front edge of the reduced portion 10 for maintaining the wedge and yassociated shoes in assembled condition within the shell A.

To the rear of the friction shoes 14 is disposed a follower member 20 having a projecting annular ring 22 in 2,903,143 Patented Sept. 8, 1959 engagement with the rear ends 24 of the respective friction shoes 14. Extending rearwardly from the outer periphery of the follower member 20 is a ange 26.

Rearwardly of the follower 20 is a pair of spaced separator plates 28 and 30 having forwardly extending flanges 32 and 34 which are spaced from each other, flange 32 being also spaced from the ange 26 on the follower 20. The forward extension of the flanges is such as to prevent contact between adjacent separator plates during full compression of the gear. Each of the separator plates has depressed portions 36 and 38 at the rear surface thereof for a purpose to be presently described.

At the back of the housing is a locking plate 40* similar to the separator plates 28 and 30 in that it is provided with a forwardly extending peripheral flange 42. However, the rear surface of plate 40 is at and without any recess or depression therein.

Interposed between the follower 20 and the lirst separator 28, between the first separator 28 and the second separator 30, and between the second separator 30 and the locking plate 40 are groups of rubber pads 44, which are respectively bonded to metal plates 46, each pad 44 and its bonded plates 46 constituting a resilient unit D. Peripheral recesses 48 are provided at the edges of the pads to provide flow spaces accommodating the displaced material of the pad when same is subjected to compressive forces.

It will be noted that the respective flanges on the follower 20, the separators 28 and 30 and the locking plate 40 encompass one or more of the rubber pads 44 including the metal plates 46 bonded thereto. Such extension of the flanges adds to columnar rigidity and prevents buckling of the resilient column composed of the units D when same are subjected to compression. 'Fhe columnar rigidity is further enhanged by the depressions 36 and 38 which receive the metal plate 46 of an adjacent unit D and prevent such plate from moving laterally.

With particular reference to Figure 2, from which the rearmost unit D has been omitted for the sake of clarity, it will be noted that the rear wall C com-prises a plate member 50 of a thickness preferably greater than the thickness of the walls of the housing A. The front surface 52 of the member 50 has legs 54 extending laterally therefrom, that is, longitudinally of the gear as a whole, each leg being adjacent to and running parallel to the edge surfaces 56 and 58 of the member 50. The ends of the legs 54 extend outwardly at a right angle thereto and for lips 60. Complementary construction is provided at the ends of the bottom and top walls of the housing in that the rear surfaces 62 and 63 of the ends of the top and bottom walls 2 and 4 are co-terminous with a lip 64 slidingly receivable in the groove formed by the lip 60, leg 54 and marginal surface 66 of the rear wall 50. The lips 64 are intergral with legs 68 which are reduced thickness portions of the bottom and top walls 2 and 4 of the housing A.

At each side of the rear plate 50 depending side flanges 72 are provided for abutting contact with side wall end surfaces 74. Thus, when the rear wall member, as shown in Figure 2, is moved laterally of the shell, the tongue and groove arrangement will provide metal-to-metal contact between the rear wall 50 and the top and bottom walls 2 and 4 of the shell and similarly the depending flanges 72 will be in Contact with the end surfaces 74 whereby the inherent high strength off the assembled structure will be attained.

The locking plate 40 has a substantially rectangular base section 76 from which peripheral flange 42 extends. Flange 42 includes end flanges 78 and 80 extending in a direction inwardly of the housing A and each having a hole 81 therethrough. The inner side portions of the 3 end flanges are joined by side bars 82 to provide a stii unitary structure having cut-away corners, as shown in Figure 2, which provide clearance for the legs 54 and lips d() during sliding movement of the closure member 50.

It will be noted that a hole 8f]- is provided in each of the :side walls 6 and 8, these holes 84 permitting the insertion of prins therethrough so that when the locking plate 4,6 is depressed and the resilient units D compressed to align holes 81 with holes 84, the pins, not shown, can be inserted through the aligned holes to hold said plate in depressed position. By the use of other pins (no t shown) Vin'sertable into holes `86 provided in the closure member 50, said`member or `wall 5.0 can be moved lateralljfof the shell A into position in alignment with the bottom, top and side walls of the shell. In'lFigure 4a modied form of the closure member of theinvention is illustrated. In this embodiment the legs 68 and lips 6,4 extend throughout substantially the entire width of the shell but stop short of extending entirely therethrough as in Figure 2. The corresponding membeIS, namely, legs 54 and lips 60 of the rear wall 50 are suitably shortened laterally so that a complementary mating can be effected. Of course, with this modication it is possible to assemble or disassemble the rear vwall from one side of the shell only as compared to assembly from either side of the shell with the construction illustrated in Figure 2.

' To assemble the draft gear, the friction clutch B comprising the wedge 16 and shoes 14 is rst inserted through the open rear end of the shell A. Subsequently, the follower 2 0,'resilient units D and separator plates 28 and 3 0 are inserted within the shell. This assemblage is topped off with the locking plate 40. Compressive force is then applied to the exterior surface of the plate 4 0 to depress same so that holes 81 are in alignment with the holes 8 4 at which time retaining pins, not shown, are inserted therethrough to hold down -the assemblage. The closure member 50 is then positioned to have its depending legs 54 and projecting lips 6.0 in sliding alignment with the complementary lips and legs on the shell and is then moved laterally into full closing position over the end of the shell. If necessary or desirable, pins can be inserted within the holes 86 to afford means for manually grasping and facilitating movement ofthe rear wall 50 into closure'position. When the wal1`50 is in alignment with the end of the shell A, the hold-down pins are removed from the `aligned holes 81 and 84. Thereupon, Vthe resilient units D expand and move the locking plate 40 rearwardly into engagement with the front surface of the closure member 50 and the flanges 78 and 80 overlap the depending flanges 72 and thus positively insure against lateral movement of the rear wall out of assembly.

The gear is so assembled that afterY locking of the rear closure member 50 in position there is sufficient initial compression in the resilient units to maintain abearing force4 against the locking plate 40 which in turn bears against the closure member 50. Y To disassemble the gear, pins are inserted through the holes 86 to depress the locking plate 40, hold-down'pins are inserted through the holes 81 and 84 and the rear wall 50 is moved laterally out of disassembly.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described the invention, what I consider new and desire toihave protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with an open-ended housing having resilient elements therein and having force transmitting means projecting from a restricted opening at one end thereof, of a laterally slidable non-rotatable closure member at the other end of the housing, interengaging means on two opposite edges of the closure member and on the adjacent edges of said housing, a projecting flange at each of the other two opposite edges of said closure member, and a locking plate within said housing biased by said resilient elements into engagement with said closure member, said locking plate overlapping the lines of juncture between said projecting flanges and the adjacent wall of the housing.

2. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with an open-ended housing having resilient elements therein and having force transmitting means projecting from a restricted opening at one en d thereof, of a laterally slidable non-rotatable closure member at the other end of the housing, such closure member having projecting legs spaced from and extending parallel to two opposite side edges of the member, a lip extending outwardly from each of said legs, and a projecting flange at each of the two remaining side edges of the closure member, a locking plate within said housing biased by said resilient elements into engagement with. Said Closure member, .Said locking plate overlapping the free edge of said projecting danses t@ Prevent lateral mvmsnt O f. the* 91951K@ member.

3. In a shocl; absorbing mechanism, the combination with an open-ended housing having resilient elements therein and havingforce transmitting means projecting from arestricted opening at one end thereof; of a laterally slidable non-rotatable rectangular Vclosure member at the other end of thel housing, grooved means projecting from two opposite side edges of the closure member, llanges extendngifrom .the remaining two opposite edges of the closure member; complementary grooved means in the ends of two ,opposite housing walls; and a locking plate comprising a pan-shaped rectangular member provided with cut-away'portions at two opposite corner edges thereof adjacent to the grooved means in the housing walls.

4. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with an open-ended housing having resilient elements therein and having force transmitting means projecting from a restricted opening at one end thereof, of a laterally slidable closure member at the other end of the housing, and a lockingmember within the housing and in engagement with said closure member, such closure member comprising a rectangular plate, projecting legs spaced from and extending parallel to two opposite side edges of the plate, a lip extending outwardly from each of said legs and receivable in a groove provided in the adjacent side wall of the housing, the remaining two opposite edges of the plate having anges projecting therefrom, said locking member comprising a rectangular base element, en d llanges, integral therewith,van d a bar section along each side of and spaced from the base element joining the end flanges.'

5. In a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with an open-.ended housing having resilient elements therein and having force transmitting means projecting from a restricted openingI at one end thereof; Aof alaterally slidable rectangular closure member at the other end `of the housing, grooved means projecting from two opposite side edges of the closure member, flanges extending `from the remaining two opposite edges of the lclosure member; complementary grooved means in the ends of two opposite housing walls; and a il'nclgingvplatel comprising a rectangular member provided with lend flanges overlapping the line of juncture between thean'gesfof the yclosure member and the adjacent endsof the housing walls.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,426,262 Dath A Aug. 26, 1947 2,472,582 Green June 7, 1949 2,531,737 Lyon NO V. 28, 1950 2,562,248 Weed Y July 31, 1951 2,715,967 Mulcahy ..V y..- Aug. 23, 1955 

